Update

South Carolina governor Mark Sanford today annnounced that he was in Argentina with an Argentinan woman with whom he is having an extramaritial affair. He said, "I've been unfaithful to my wife. I developed a relationship with what started as a dear, dear friend from Argentina."

Last Thursday, South Carolina governor Mark Sanford went missing. Neither his staff or his wife knew about his whereabouts. On monday, his spokesman said he had been hiking along the Appalachian Trail. Seems like nobody really knew about it. He was spotted on Wednesday morning at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia returning from a 5 day trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

"I wanted to do something exotic. It's a great city," Sanford said, referring to Buenos Aires.

Sanford also said he hadn't planned to return until Thursday, but came back earlier after his chief of staff told him the story of his whereabouts was drawing widespread media attention.

Sanford expressed surprise that the story was attracting such attention, saying it's not unusual for him to take such trips.

"I would get out of the bubble I am in," he said, according to the paper.

Source: CNN

It seems like after the governor lost his fight over accepting the $700 million stimulus money. He says that he wanted lawmakers to spend the money on debt instead of urgent budget needs.

Reactions

South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler said in a statement Wednesday it was the "height of irresponsibility for the governor to walk out on his solemn duty to the people of South Carolina. "When it comes to the real needs and concerns of South Carolinians, Mark Sanford has been pretty much missing in action for the last six-and-a-half years. But it is not acceptable for him to be actually missing."However, as disturbing as it is to walk out on your responsibilities without telling anyone, what's more troubling is that the governor and his staff have been less than truthful about his whereabouts," the statement said.

"Lies. Lies. Lies. That's all we get from his staff. That's all we get from his people. That's all we get from him," said state Sen. Jake Knotts, R-West Columbia. "Why all the big cover-up?"

"Unless he runs for president of Argentina, I think he has no chance of becoming president. The rest of the country wouldn't have taken him seriously anyway," said Dick Harpootlian, a former South Carolina Democratic Party chairman who rapped Sanford for "apparently taking off to run away from home like some hormone-infused adolescent."

"It's not unusual to take off and kind of be by himself," said state Sen. Tom Davis, a Beaufort Republican and Sanford's former chief of staff. "It's part of what makes him him."

This is definitely irresponsible for a person in a such a position to just get up and leave without any details. According to his statements, it seems that this is not the first time he has done it. Reports claim that he is well known as a loner.

Good luck South Carolina!